A cobpobation obi massa



Mayfi; 1930. I G,WHEAT 1,757,889

ELECTRIC LAMP Filed Dec. 16. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l 22 //v VENTOR.

ATTORNEY G. WHEAT ELECTRIC LAMP May 6, 1930.

Filed Dec: 16. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /Nl/NTOR ATTORNEY G. WHEAT ELECTRIC LAMP May 6, 1930. I

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 16. 1926 TTORNE Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRANT WHEAT, 0F MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO KOEHLER MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, A CQRPORATIONOF MASBA:

CHUSETTB zamacrarc' LAMP Application filed December 16,1926. Serlal'No. 155,199.

This invention relates to portable electric lamps of the general type known as miners lamps.

Lamps of this general character are designed to be carried or worn on the person, and they com rise an electric lamp usually mounte on t e cap, and a storage battery which customarily is suspended from the wearers belt with conductors for carrying current from the storage battery to the lamp. WVhile apparatus of this character was originally developed primarily for use by miners,

it has now come to be used by workers in other lines, more particularly firemen, and it is one of the objects of the invention to devise an apparatus of this general character which will be especially adapted for more general use, as for example, by mechanics, plumbers, railroad workers, and others.

The factthat a storage battery is relied upon to supply the current for the lamp used in apparatus of this character introduces complications which are the source of considerable trouble even when the lam s are cared for by someone skilled in that ine, as for example, in mine work, but which are even more troublesome when the ap aratus is placed in the hands of a'person w o is relatively unskilled in handling such equipment. Among'these difiiculties may be mentioned particularly the corrosionof the parts in the attery casing dueto the escape of vapors or fumes from the electrolyte, the danger of having the battery accidentall or mischievously short circuited, and t e annoyance caused by the necessit of re-charging the batter The present invention is more especial y concerned with these considerations, and it aims to devise an a paratus of this character in which these 0 1ectionable features will be eliminated or minimized,

In prior constructions it has been the usual practice either to mount a switch in the battery casing to connect and disconnect charging terminals on the casin with the battery ment, and in both constructionsthe creeping of the electrolyte and the vaporsor fumes dis charged from the battery have caused serious corrosion of the charging terminals or switch terminals. To avoid these difficulties and to simplify and facilitate the charging of the battery forms an especially important object of this invention.

The nature of the inventionwill be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompan ing drawings, and the novel features will e particularly pointed out in' the appended claims.

In the drawings, I

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an a paratus constructed in accordance with this invention, and designed more especially for use by artisans; 1

Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the a paratus illustrated in Fig. 1 but showing the battery cover raised; a

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lam casing with the lamp and reflector remove some of the parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the lamp casing;

Fig. 5'is a perspective view showing, on a larger scale, the battery illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the method of charging the battery;

Fig. 7 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view showing a miners lamp embodying features of this invention;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the lamp casing, showing diagrammatically certain of the circuit connections; and

1 Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing'amodification.

Referrin first to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the apparatus t ere shown comprises a battery 2, an electric lamp 3, a lamp-casing 4 inwhich said lamp is mounted, and an insulated cord 5 connecting said battery with said casing and inclu'din conductors for carrying current from said battery to said lamp.

The battery includes an outer casing made of vulca'nite, or other suitable insulating material, and has,a removable cover 6 which channel shape in cross-section, and made in two sections which are secured together at oppositeends of the battery by screws, one 0 these screws being shown at 8 in Fig. -1. The cover 6 may be made eitherof.insulating material or of metal. The cord 5 is led through one end of the cover 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the two conductors 10 in the cord are separated inside the casing and connected to the battery terminals 12-12.

In order to avoid corrosion of the terminals or the casing, if it is made of metal, or of the conductors or metal parts within the casing, the acid fumes developed within the battery jars are conducted through small tubes 14-14, Fig. 2, to holes or passages 15-15 which are formed in the wall of the battery casing. These passages or ducts come to the surface of the casing just under a rib 16, Fig. 5, which is formed in the casing wall. The fumes, therefore, are conducted to a'point outside and remote from the cover, and any possibility of fumes escapin inside the cover is avoided. It is assume sealed into the casing so that fumes cannot escape around them, and for this purpose I prefer to use a construction like that shown in my Patent No. 1,389,174, although any other suitable battery construction can be substituted for it.

The lamp casing 4 preferably is made tlihiefl or entirely of insulating material, and

pre ing 17 through which the cord 5 is led. The lamp 3 is supported vertically in the casing 4 and is mounted in a lamp socket 18 the lamp being positioned immediately in front .of a concave reflector 20 and approximately 1 centered with reference to the reflector. This reflector is secured to the bottom or base of the-casing by a screw which enters j the hole 21,.Fig. 3. A glass front 22, Fig. 2, which is removably held on to the casing by a bezel 23, protects the lamp and closes the front of the casing.

In order to supply current to the lamp one of, the electrical conductors in the cord 5 is connected through metal straps 24 and 25, Fi 3, to the shell of the socket 18, while the ot er conductor 10 is connected through a metal art 26 to. a spring terminal 27 of a,

switch, t e other spring member 28 of which is connected to the central contact (not shown) of the lamp socket 18. The two spring members 27 and 28 of the switch are so tensioned or biased that normally they are separated and the circuit through the lamp is open. The member 28, however, can be moved into contact with the member 27 by means of a slidable cam 30 of insulatin material, mounted just inside the casing an connected by screws to a metal thumb piece 31'located outside of the casing, the screws of course, that the jar covers are er to provide it with a soft rubber bush- I passing through slots in the casing wall. As shown in Fig. 3 the switch is open, but when the thumb piece 31 is moved toward the right, Fig. 3, the cam 31 presses the spring switch member 28 against its cooperating member 27 and closes the switch, thus lighting the lamp. A reverse movement, of course, opens the switch.

It is desirable to be able to attach the lamp casing easily and quickly to any part of the clothing, and for this purpose aspring fastener or clip 33-is secured to, the back of the casing by screws 34-34, Fig. 4. This fastener is of approximately U-shape with one leg longer than the other, and the free end 35 is sprung toward the opposite leg which is secured to the casing, so that'the fastener will grip the edge of a pocket orv other part of the clothing to support the lamp thereon.

For convenlence in charging the battery 2 the lamp casing is equipped with two charg- 39, respectively, are formed through the insulating back plate of the casing in line with the holes in the respective socket members 36 and 37, so that contacts in the form of pins or plugs and forming terminals of the charging circuit can be inserted in the holes 38 and 39 to connect the battery into said circuit. The hole 39 is made larger than the hole 38, and the plugs differ from each other corre spondingly so that there is no possibility of connecting the charging terminals 36 and 37 to the wrong poles of the charging circuit.-

Fig. 6 shows the lamp casing 4 in charging position with lugs or pins 40 and 41, respectively, entere in the holes 38 and 39, the plugs projecting from an insulating base or support 42 of a charging rack or equivalent apparatus and forming the terminals of a charging circuit which includes a generator 43, or other sourceof direct current, and a switch 44-for closing or opening said circuit. a

In using the device the battery 2 is usually slung from the belt, as shown in Fig. 1, and the lamp casing may be carried in the hand, or more usuall fastened to some part of the clothin so t at both hands are left free. The lig t is turned on or off, as desired, by closing or opening the switch 30-28.

The apparatus is ve y simple in construction, and at the same time is sturdy and substantial and will stand rough usage. The charging of the battery is facilitated, and the construction is also simplified,-by the location of the charging terminals on the lamp casing.

the charging terminals is eliminated by their peculiar location in the holes 38 and 39, the insulating back plate-of the lamp casing 4 acting as a guard for the terminals.

The charging arrangement above described can also beused to advantage in a miners lamp such as that shown, for example, in my pending application Serial No. 149,890, and an arrangement suitable forthis purpose is indicated in Figs. 7 and 8. In these figures the lamp casing is indicated at 46, and the two electric lamps mounted therein at 47 and 48, respectively. Either lamp may be connected into the circuit by means of a switch 49 which is operable by a knob or handle 50 mounted on the casing. Two electric conductors 1O lead from the casing 46 to the batter 2, as in the construction above described. chraging terminal 51, Fig. 8, is mounted in a hole in the insulating casing 46 and is con-' nected with one of the conductors 10, the terminal being exposed at the surface of the casing. Another charging terminal 52 similarly located in the surface of the casing is connected to a contact 52' of a switch 53 which is adapted to connect this terminal electrically with the other conductor 10. This switch is pivoted at 59 and it may be provided with a handle 55 for operating it. lflormally this switch is in the position shown in Fig. 8 where it closes the lamp circuit through a contact 54. But when this. switch is operated to break this circuit and to connect its conductor 10 to the contact 52, the battery 2 may then be charged though the conductors l010 simply by connecting the terminals of a charging circuit to the charging terminals 51 and 52.

In lamps of this type it is ,very important that precautions be taken to prevent the 3C? cidental or mischevious short circuiting of the battery by the workmenwho use the apparatus. Normally the switch 53 is so positioned that the charging terminal 52 is dead and accidental short circuiting, therefore, is avoided. In order to prevent the closing of the switch by unauthorized persons, the operating member forthe switch 53 may be eliminated and an operating member substituted for it which is embedded in the insulating material of the casing 46 andarranged to be operated only by a'key or 0th 4 001 of peculiar and unusual shape. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 9, the operating member 59 is a part of the pivot 59 and is sha ed as shown so that it can only be operate by a tool of unusual construction. .A more effective method, however; of preventing any tampering with this switch is to provide a lock for it which can only be released magnetically. Such an'arrangement is shown in Fig. 8 Y

in which the switch blade or disc 53 isnormally locked in the open position in which it holds the charging circuit open by a latch 56 pressed toward the swich' disc by a leaf spring 57. The latch 56 is made'of iron or other ma neti'c material, and pins 61--61 of iron, or similar material, are set intothe casing with their outer ends flush with the surface thereof and their inner ends located near the ends of the latch. By bringing a horse-shoe magnet 60 into contact with said pins, the latch will be withdrawn, thus releasing or unlocking the switch member 53 so that it may then be turned to connect the conductor 10 with the charging terminal 52.

For convenience in charging the battery, the terminals of the charging rack may be arranged as shown at 62, 63, Fig. 7, so that the lamp casing 46 can be pushed between them, the terminals 62, 63 making contact, respectively, with the charging terminals 51 and 52. The switch 53 should, of course, be moved to open the lamp circuit and make contact with the contact 52 before the lamp is placed in charging position. Ordinarily the attendant or attendants in the lamp house would be the only persons equipped with a magnet, key, or ot er special tool required to release or operate the switch 53, the miners rarely, go if ever, having knowledge of the construe tion of the apparatus, so that this arrangement effectually prevents either accidental or mischevious short circuiting of the battery through the short circuiting of the charging terminals. I

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8, as also in the construction previously described, the organization and construction of the apparatus. is simplified by the elimination of chargingterminals and switches from the battery casing and so arranging the apparatus that it is never necessary to open the battery casing or manipulate anything connected with it during the re-charging of the battery, or in the ordinary use of the a paratus. Since the charging terminals in 0th constructions are readily accessible from outside the casing without disturbing the lamp, the re-charging of the battery simply no necessitates the placing of the head piece or. lamp casing in a charging rack with, the charging terminals of the head piece in contact with those of the rack, the switch in the head piece being first operated to cut off the lamp. The "charging terminals and the switch for controlling their connection with the battery being in the head iece eliminates] the danger of corrosion w ,iph, as above stated, has been aserious source of trouble heretofore and is particularly objectionable in apparatus of thisj'type used by workmen who are not skilled in the handling of equipment of this kind. "f

While I have hereili shown and described preferred embqdiments of my; invention, it. will be understood that the invention may be embodiedin many formsjwithout departing fromthes hit or scope thereof.

Much o the subject matter disclosed in this application is embodied in my later application Serial No. 334,526, filed January 23, 1929, and the claims on the subject matter common to the two applications are presented in the later case, the claims in the present application beingv confined to subject matter not disclosed in said later application.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. A lamp apparatus designed to be carried on the person comprising, in combination, an electric lamp, a casing in which said lamp is mounted, a socket in said casing for operativelysupporting said lamp, a storage battery including battery elements and a casing therefor, said casings being separate from and independent of each other and adapted to be independently supported, a flexible cord connecting said casings and including conductors for supplying current from said battery'to said lamp, and charging terminals in said lamp casing, said casing protecting said terminals but having apertures through the wall thereof in which, access to said terminals may be had, said charging terminals being adapted to cooperate with the terminals of a charging circuit and with the conductors in said cord to charge said battery through said conductors.

2. A lamp apparatus designed to be carried on the person comprising, in combina tion, an electric lamp, a casing in which said lamp is mounted, a storage battery including battery elements and a casing therefor, said casings being separate from and independent of each other and adapted to be independ ently supported, a cord connecting said casings and including conductors for supplying current from said battery to said lamp, charging terminals in said lamp casing accessible from outside the lamp casing without disturbing said lamp, said terminals being constructed and arranged to cooperate with the terminals of a charging rack and with the conductors in said cord to charge said battery through said conductors, and a manually operabledevice in said lamp casing for preventing the accidental short circuiting of the battery by the short circuiting of said charging terminals, said device requiring for its operation the use of a tool of an unusual character.

3. A lamp apparatus designed to be carried on the person comprising, in combination, an electric lamp, a casing in which said lamp is mounted, a storage battery including battery elements and a casing therefor, said casings being separate; from and independent. of each other and adapted to be independently supported, a cord connecting said casings and including conductors for supplying current from said battery to said lamp, charging terminals in said lamp casing accessible from outside the lamp casing without disturbingsaid lamp, said terminals being constructed ter.

GRANT WHEAT. 

